Blog

We recently got back from a great Tennessee trip, and I’ve been so excited to share the details! Jay’s dad and step mom took the family for a fun filled 5 days where we covered a lot of ground. From Dollywood in Pigeon Forge to honkytonking in Nashville, we had an absolute blast.

The Playlist

Every road trip needs a good playlist! The drive from Chapin to Pigeon Forge was about 4 hours. From Pigeon Forge to Nashville is an other 3 hours and 40 minutes. Listed below is a whole bunch of songs that got us pumped on our way to Tennessee.

-My Tennessee Mountain Home – Dolly Parton
-Tennessee Whiskey – Chris Stapleton
-Nothing Like You – Luke Combs
-Put a Little Love in Your Heart – Dolly Parton
-Talking Tennessee – Morgan Wallen
-Wagon Wheel – Old Crow Medicine Show
-Jolene – Dolly Parton
-7 Summers – Morgan Wallen
-Light of a Clear Blue Morning – Dolly Parton
-Nashville – Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors
-Islands in the Stream – Dolly Parton
-Down to the Honkytonk – Jake Owen
-My Hometown – Uncle Kracker
-Broadway Girls – Lil Durk
-Fishin in the Dark – Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
-Roll With It – Easton Corbin
-Heads Carolina, Tails California – Jo Dee Messina
-Ramblin Man – Allman Brothers Ban
-Girl Named Tennessee – NEEDTOBREATHE
-Take Me Home, Country Roads – John Denver

Outfits for Walking Around in the Summer Heat

We knew we would be going going going this trip, so I did something that’s rare for me and packed plenty of casual, comfortable outfits.

The first day was mostly travel, but I knew we would be grabbing dinner once we got settled, so I had to be cute enough for going to dinner, but comfy enough for spending 4 hours in the car. I tucked a grey tank top into my favorite pair of mom jeans, because I knew I would be able to wear them more than once on the trip if I wanted to. I opted for my adidas sneakers, because I knew I would be the one driving while Jay worked in the passenger seat. Finally, I threw on a white baseball hat so I wouldn’t have to worry about touching up my hair.

The next day was the Dollywood day. I knew I needed to be comfortable, because it’s June in the south and I would be walking around outside all day long. I wore a white tank top tucked into a skater skirt with my same adidas from the day before. The one thing I would change would be putting a small pair of shorts under my skirt.

On day 3, we went into Gatlinburg for lunch and a trip to the aquarium. I wanted to be a little cuter on this day, but still comfortable enough to walk around the aquarium for a few hours. I wore a cotton body con dress with sneakers.

On the fourth day of the trip, we spent half of the day in Pigeon Forge exploring, and the other half driving to Nashville to close on our house! I wanted to look more put together on this day, because we were doing our final walkthrough at our house and I knew I wanted to take a family picture while we were there. This cute smocked mini dress was a gift from Jay’s step mom.

The last day of our trip was the day we officially closed on our house, so I wanted to look professional and put together, but I needed an outfit that would transition well to Broadway afterwards. I wore an H&M blue and white striped button down (a tried and true classic from my closet) tucked into a pair of high waisted white shorts, which I’ve found myself reaching for over and over again this summer.

The House

The house that Jay’s parents rented for us in Pigeon Forge was absolutely perfect for us! They used Fireside Chalet & Cabin Rentals. It had 3 bedrooms (two with king beds and one with a queen bed and a set of bunkbeds). Our room was on the lower level of the house and was right off of the rec room. The rec room included a tv, a pool table, a pacman arcade game, and a ton of boardgames. Even better, the lower level porch had a mini putt putt course. On the upper level, there were the other two bedrooms, a living area, a kitchen, and an eating area. The upper level porch had swings, rocking chairs, a telescope, and Hollings’ favorite part, a hot tub.

Dollywood

In terms of theme parks, I 10/10 recommend Dollywood. I honestly didn’t know what to expect going into it, but it was a very clean park, with pretty little buildings and lots of flowers. We went on a Sunday and it was not at all crowded. Being in the mountains of Tennessee, it wasn’t too terribly hot. We had the fast lane passes, so we got right on every ride almost immediately. I think the longest we had to wait for a ride was maybe 15 minutes. The food was good and reasonably priced as well. There was plenty to do for our little kids, and us adults enjoyed some rollercoasters as well (the unanimous favorite being the lightning rod).

Nashville

Nashville was a great time, as always. We were only there for one full day, and were pretty busy finalizing closing on our house. Still, we managed to take some time for ourselves and do some touristy things. We went to see the Parthenon replica, which is super impressive (not to mention a nice escape from the heat if you decide to go inside). We grabbed lunch and a beer at YeeHaw Brewing, and then made our way towards Broadway. While there, we spent most of our time at Jason Aldean’s bar, where we had a few drinks and danced. Next we went to Ole Red and had a nacho appetizer, and then ended the crawl at Acme. By the end of the day we were so exhausted and decided to go to a little hole in the wall mediterranean place near our hotel in Brentwood and we all LOVED it. Jay and I agreed we would definitely go back once we become locals.

This was such a fun trip and I am so thankful to Pops and Yaya for taking us and making memories together.